Voice Of Tradition By Gangubai Hangal

Gangubai Hangal, who represented the voice of tradition by capturing the essence of Hindustan classical music and upholding the legacy of the Kirana Gharana, defied gender and caste barriers to become the voice that swept the musical landscape in a career spanning over half a century. The life of 97-year-old Gangubai, born in a family of boatmen, was an incredible saga of struggle to reach the pinnacle of a musical career, dotted with poignant incidents of battling financial woes, ridicule by casteist neighbours and a constant battle between staving off hunger and delivering sublime music.Often a butt of casteist remarks and dubbed `gannewali' by those who did not perceive singing as a noble profession way back when young Gangubai, a native of a remote village Hanagal in Karnataka took up to singing, she rose up in stature, to bag the country's most coveted awards, including Padma Bhushan, Padma Vibushan, Tansen Award, Karnataka Sangeet Nritya Akademi Award and Sangeet Natak Akademi. A representative of the older generation, Gangubai with her purist and classic approach, has been a staunch upholder of the guru-shishya tradition.Her musical genes were apparent early in life when she ran to the road to hear the gramaphone play and tried to copy it.

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